1850. How those are portrayed who think they deserve heaven by undergoing debasements and supplications
There are those who think they deserve heaven because of their earnest prayers, and yet who pray, not for others, much less for all, but for themselves alone. Their prayers, therefore, are not heard, except perhaps in earthly matters.
A female spirit of this kind was displayed, above the level of the right eye, somewhat to the right, at a middle distance. She was wrapped about from head to foot with dirty linen, so that her face and head did not show. Standing upright, she would then fall to her face, creeping on the ground. But this was a humbling from one's own power. It was for this reason that some of almost the same type used to perform humiliation with sackcloth.
1850. HOW THOSE ARE REPRESENTED WHO THINK HEAVEN IS TO BE MERITED BY HUMILIATIONS AND SUPPLICATIONS.
There are those who think that heaven is to be merited by supplications, yet they pray not for others, still less for all, but only for themselves, and thus their prayers are not heard, except, perhaps, in regard to earthly things. One of this character [a female spirit] was represented standing erect above the plane of the right eye, at a moderate distance and a little to the right, covered from the head to the feet with a kind of dirty linen robe, so that the face and head did not appear; from a standing position she threw herself prostrate, and then crept upon the ground; but this was a humiliation prompted by selfhood, and very similar was the humiliation by sackcloth of certain ones in former times.
1850. Quomodo repraesentantur ii, qui per humiliationes et supplicationes mereri coelum putant
Sunt qui per supplicationes mereri coelum putant, et tamen non pro aliis, minus pro omnibuu, sed solum pro semet precantur, sic etenim eorum preces non audiuntur; nisi forte in terrenis; repraesentabatur talis, supra planum oculi dextri, aliquantum dextrorsum ad mediam distantiam, quod capite tenus usque ad pedes, quodam linteo spurco erat circumtecta, sic ut facies et caput non appareret, erecta stans, dein se prosternens, ad humum repens; sed erat haec humiliatio ex semet, quare per saccos, paene similes, humiliatio quorundam agebatur.